They are friends, well-rounded athletes and members of the 2013 graduating class of Clayton Heights Secondary. And last month, they got together for a fun, semi-formal photo op, posing in their gowns and tuxedos along with baseball bats and gloves, volley balls, basketballs and hockey sticks – a symbolic homage to their varied athletic endeavours at school and in the community.
It was a final hurrah for the friends, including three girls who attended the same elementary school, who are off to separate post-secondary pursuits this fall.
Grad Daniel Cochran played soccer for three years, and plays for Cloverdale Minor Hockey, and competed for three years on the school’s golf team. He’s attending University of the Fraser Valley this fall, where he plans to study criminology.
Kelsey Veinot played on Clayton Heights’ field hockey team, managed the Night Riders’ basketball team, and is a former equestrian. She’s attending Simon Fraser University this fall.
Emma McCracken played high school basketball for five years, along with volleyball, field hockey and Ultimate.
Emma Cochran played with Surrey United for 10 years before moving onto field hockey. She was selected to the U17 Junior national field hockey team and represented B.C. for six years. Last month, she was named Clayton Heights Secondary’s Grade 12 female athlete of the year, and MVP for field hockey. She’s headed to the University of Maine on a field hockey scholarship and is playing on the Canadian junior national team.
Travis Thoen played with Cloverdale Minor Hockey and later Langley Minor Hockey, and won the busary at this year’s Langley midget scholarship tournament.
Maddy Power was named this year’s Clayton Heights Secondary’s overall female athlete and MVP for volleyball. Along with high school volleyball, basketball, golf and Ultimate, Power has been a member of the Fraser Valley Volleyball Club since she was 11 (the team won the provincials and placed third in at the nationals), and received the Gordon Shrum scholarship to SFU, where she plans to earn a Bachelor of Science. She’s playing for the NCAA division II volleyball team.
Kaitlin Sandwell is an avid field hockey player on both her school and community teams.
Tanner Shear was named Grade 12 male athlete of the year. He was a member of his school’s soccer, basketball, volleyball, Ultimate and rugby teams, and played community hockey, soccer and baseball in Cloverdale.
Naomi Okada was named MVP for field hockey. She plays field hockey year round for the Surrey Sharks, and also played basketball and Ultimate frisbee.
Tanner O’Neill played on the school’s volleyball, basketball and Ultimate teams throughout his high school career.
